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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24032065">Thanalan's Sun</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForgivenWhimsy/pseuds/ForgivenWhimsy'>ForgivenWhimsy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XIV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Tumblr Prompt, a realm reborn, smooches, these nerds, wol 30 day challenge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 14:56:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,210</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24032065</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForgivenWhimsy/pseuds/ForgivenWhimsy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Thancred's been tasked with aiding and mentoring newly minted Scion, Shiloh. It's an easy job, the type of investigation he's used to, but Shiloh's put him off his game, it's been some time since he's been so thoroughly distracted by someone, someone he has no business getting involved with. Shiloh's been warned by Yda, that Thancred has a reputation, the term womanizer used specifically, but the more time she spends with him, the more she finds she's wiling to take a chance. They're dancing around each, circling closer with every pass, testing to see how far they could push each other, a constant game. It was reckless, but it was fun.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Warrior of Light/Thancred Waters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Thanalan's Sun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This isn’t going to work.” Thancred turned at the now familiar voice, newly minted Scion of the Seventh Dawn, Shiloh emerged from their room wearing the same weatherd linens he was wearing. The linens were the cheap and simple clothing of Thanalan’s poor. And to Thancreds eye she looked the part of destitute peddler in need of succor, or the perfect patsy for the false priests praying on the good folk of Camp Drybone.<br/><br/>“What makes you say that?” Thancred gave her a once over, once again seeing nothing wrong with his chosen disguise. </p><p> </p><p>“We stick out, even with these clothes, if our kidnappers have been targeting Drybone, then they’ll have marked us,” She pointed at her horns, and flicked her forked tail for emphasis. “While I truly appreciate the non-reaction you and the other scions gave me as an Au Ra in Eorzea, you lot are the exception, not the rule. They’ll have noticed an Auri adventurer, and suddenly there’s a destitute Auri beggar? It stinks of a trap.” </p><p> </p><p>She made a good point.</p><p> </p><p>“And you! Handsome white haired adventurer with a neck tattoo, you’re not trying very hard.” She cocked her hips at him, and Thancred touched his tattoo, he was supposed to be mentoring her, and if he was being honest, hoping to show off a bit. He tried not to let his pride swell when she called him handsome, that wasn’t the point of her comment. Shiloh had an eye for details, and these were details he should have caught. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah, yes, you’re right, of course.” He cleared his throat. He spied the linen sac their disguise had come in, “head coverings are fairly common in Thanalan, so, if we,” he tore the bag in two, before wrapping one half over Shiloh’s head, arranging the material over her horns, made it look like a poor man’s turban. “There, that’s better, we can use the dust to dirty you up a bit, and at a distance, the natural assumption would be that you are Miqo’te or Hyur. Keep your back to the rocks and shrubs, our query won’t get a close enough look until it’s too late.” </p><p> </p><p>This wasn’t the first rookie mistake he’d made on this mission, her first. His eyes more often following her instead of staying alert to his surroundings, his mind drifting to thoughts of her instead of the task at hand. She was driving him to distraction. Thancred had an appreciation for her sharp instincts, that she was clever, kind, and lovely besides wasn’t helping. He had a weakness for beautiful women, it wasn’t exactly a secret, and under normal circumstances, he would lay on the charm until they had a tumble in his bed, and he got her out of his system. Problem was that she was a peer and colleague, and the other scions were trusting him to keep her safe and show her the ropes, not to mention he would need to work with her again, and a physical entanglement would make things awkward, never mind the thrashing Yda would give him for bedding her friend. Wasn’t it just like him to always want what he couldn’t have. </p><p> </p><p>To add insult to injury, all Thancred had managed to do was embarrass himself. Some rogue, at this point she’d managed to save his backside not once, but twice. The first time it was a well timed barrier that deflected an Amalj'aa arrow, the second they’d wandered too close to a rutting aldgoat bull and Shiloh had managed to keep the beast at bay with some well timed and well aimed magic stones. He needed to get a hold of himself. Yda’s words rang in his ears, <em> be good, and keep your hands to yourself. </em> He hadn’t needed to see her eyes to feel the fire behind her mask when she’d pulled him aside. He’d shrugged her off, told her he was a professional above all, and that she didn’t need to worry about her friend. And yet, he caught himself staring again, she was adjusting the half sac on her head and appeared pleased with his solution, he let some of the tension he was holding in his shoulders out. He could do this, easy. </p><p> </p><p>“Now to do something about you,” Shiloh pulled the other half of the sac off the ground where it had fallen, and tore it into strips. She took a step towards him, close enough he could smell her, the dirty rags she was wearing doing a poor job of masking her natural scent of soft florals. He inhaled sharply when she lifted her hands towards him, she stopped short of touching, giving him a crooked grin, pale golden eyes dancing  under her long lashes, as if she was privy to a private joke, and he wasn’t. She cleared her throat, but Thancred was glued in place, “you’re choker, could you take it off? I’ll wrap your neck up with these, make it look like a wound, and hide that tattoo.” She nodded towards him, and after another short second Thancred got his arms moving, removing his trademark white choker. </p><p> </p><p>Thancred wasn’t sure what it was about Shiloh that turned him back into an untried boy, what it was about her that made him so bloody nervous, she was hardly the first sweet natured woman to have crossed his path. He’d watched her in Ul'dah, defending an innocent woman, and while impressed he’d managed to maintain his regular decorum around her when he invited her to the Waking Sands. While making introductions at the Sands, he’d even been able to flirt a little. He’d been excited to work with her, eager to see what it was Yda and Paplymo had seen in her, and he had. He’d seen a woman who took her time, used her head, considered her options. He’d seen a woman with a soft spot for children, and infinite compassion and empathy for others; she was too trusting, but Thancred imagined that would correct itself with more experience in the field. But as their week in Drybone dragged on, he met a woman with a sardonic edge to her wit, hospital humour, she’d called it. She was quick to remind him she was a healer first, and she was, whenever they met the Amalj'aa in skirmishes, she wove her healing magic seamlessly, he could feel the constant glow of her magic while he fought, could see the elusive shimmer of her shields deflecting arrows, all while manipulating earth, and air, and water to devastating effect. More than that, Thancred met a woman with a natural infectious joy, whose smile couldn’t help but be answered in kind. There was a warmth he couldn’t describe, he only knew he felt lighter, happier, when he was with her.</p><p> </p><p>He jumped when he felt her cold fingers at his throat, “sorry, bad circulation.” She gave him a sheepish shrug, “actually could you sit down, might be less awkward?” She cleared her throat, and took a step back, her cheeks going pink.</p><p> </p><p>“Right.” she finished dressing his fake wound with practiced ease, when she was done his Archon tattoo was effectively hidden. Shiloh touched his hair, biting her lip, “I suppose if we dirty you up enough we could make it look something other than white.” </p><p> </p><p>Thancred wiped his sweating palms on his borrowed linen trousers, she was standing between his knees. Slowly he lifted his hands to her hips, she startled at his touch, “shall we go get dirty then, my dear?” He gently pushed her away so that he could stand, only now they stood chest to chest, his hands still on her hips.  The fetching blush on her cheeks had deepend, touching her neck, and disappearing under her borrowed tunic. Shiloh stepped away, quickly, her voice an octave higher when she agreed. That he was affecting her in such a way didn’t help his imagination. He shook his head and gave her what he hoped was a charming smile, and headed towards the door, she followed after him. <em> Keep your hands to yourself </em>, Thancred never was very good at following directions, he flexed his fingers. </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Shiloh felt like a teenager with a crush, and this was hardly the time for it. Thancred wasn’t the first handsome and charming man she’d ever met, nor would he be the last. Yda’s warning rang in her head every time he gave her that crooked smile of his, <em> he’s a cad and a womanizer, he’ll flirt the pants right off of you if you give him the chance, be smart. </em>The problem was the longer she spent with him, the less she wanted to be smart. </p><p> </p><p>Despite the heat, and the blushing, and the flirting their plan worked, and they managed to uncover the plot behind the disappearances, the same idiot who had tried to lie to her in Uldah was, behind it, selling the poor of Camp Drybone to the Amalj'aa, disgusting and shameful. She watched Thancred  head back to town, his arm slung around their new catspaw, he would coordinate their next move with the Immortal Flames, as he had the connections. </p><p> </p><p>Shiloh pulled the half sack off her head and shook the sand and dirt from her blonde hair, she could feel the sand between her scales, could hear the faint crackle of it in her inner ear whenever she turned her head, the grit had even worked its way into her mouth, the rest sticking to her skin. Shiloh hated the desert. The sun was high in the sky, waves of heat distorting the scenery, and she understood why it was that Ul'dahn society made a habit of mid afternoon naps. Better to sleep through the worst of the heat then toil in it. Shiloh had a mind to do just that, but rather than drudge back to camp Drybone, she eyed the watering hole but a few fulms away. The animals in the surrounding area were either huddled in sparse shade or nestled in their burroughs, and the people from the town would be taking their afternoon nap, she pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. Shiloh pulled off the rest of her disguise, and climbed into the water in her small clothes, a light camisole and her underwear. The water was shallow and warm, like a tepid bath, but it rinsed the sand from her skin and scales. She climbed onto a large flat rock, content to let the light breeze dry her, the sun and cicadas lulled her to sleep. </p><p> Shiloh dozed, hovering at the edge of sleep and let her mind wander back to Thancred and the feel of his hands on her hips, the mischief in his eyes. She knew he was flirting with her, she liked the attention, he had a way of making her feel seen, heard, important. Despite Yda’s warning, she found that she sensed no malice coming from Thancred. Every time he called her darling or dear she felt her face heat up, but the smile he gave her when he noticed he affected her was addicting. They were dancing around each, circling closer with every pass, testing to see how far they could push each other, what kinds of small touches were permissible, innuendo a constant game. It was reckless, but it was fun, and it had been long years since she’d allowed herself to have fun, not since before the Calamity. She wondered idly what it would be like to kiss or be kissed by a self avowed scoundrel. She’d known her share growing up in Limsa Lominsa, and she’d very smartly rebuffed their advances, despite her curiosity, because it was safe thing to do, because she knew better. <em> Be smart, </em>Shiloh was finding that smart was boring, and that perhaps she’d been boring for long enough. </p><p> </p><p>Her musings were interrupted when she heard  steps through the dry grass. She mumbled an aero spell under her breath; the steps sounded more man than beast. When the walking stopped she rolled onto her haunches in one fluid movement and cast her spell...at nothing. </p><p> </p><p>“Wha..” </p><p> </p><p>“You had me worried, you know.” Thancreds voice was behind her, how, she twisted to see him standing on the bank of the water hand on hips, and she felt his eyes sweep over her, open appreciation on his face. Shit. </p><p> </p><p>A stammered explanation, an attempt to cover herself with her hands, and her embarrassment at being caught in such a state all resulted in a rather inelegant scream which saw her lose her footing and tumble into the water. She watched his face change in slow motion, from smug grin to surprise, and then her head was beneath the shallow water, and he was splashing in after her. He pulled her up to sitting and she choked and sputtered all over him while he rubbed her back and pulled a length of waterlogged grass from her hair. “Are you all right?” </p><p> </p><p>“Fine.” She gasped between coughing fits. </p><p> </p><p>Thancreds face was barely concealed mirth behind a thin mask of concern, Shiloh could see his lips and cheeks twitching from the strain. “Go on then, get it out of your system.” She splashed his already soaked tunic while he erupted in uproarious laughter. She blamed her body wide blush on the sun. </p><p> </p><p>“Gods, I’m sorry.” Thancred managed between fits of laughing.</p><p> </p><p>“We both know you’re not.” Shiloh gave him a playful shove. </p><p> </p><p>“You’re right,” He laughed leaning back into the water no longer caring that his own clothes were soaked.</p><p> </p><p>Shiloh took the opportunity to stand, doing anything to regain some semblance of dignity, in her hurry to grab her tunic from the shore she tripped on Thancreds outstretched legs and she fell, and screamed, again. He had the wherewithal to catch her, and they both tumbled back into the water. He pulled them both back up, she was flush with his chest while he propped himself up on an elbow. Shiloh buried her face in his shoulder succumbing to her own laughter, while he continued to shake with his own. </p><p> </p><p>“Ladies and gentleman, may I introduce you to the Scion’s newest recruit. A hero for the ages, Shiloh Mitka,” Thancred said.</p><p> </p><p>Shiloh lifted her head, having lost her battle with dignity for the day, embracing the moment, “behold Hydalyn's chosen,” She gave Thancred a playful grin, before they both dissolved back into giggles.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually they both stopped laughing, Shiloh felt Thancreds hand replace the thin strap of her camisole back onto her shoulder. His hand trailed down her spine tracing the scales at the base, making her shiver against him. Shiloh exhaled in a huff, hyper aware of his heat, the breath against her skin and horn. His face was close, so close she could see the golden flecks in his hazel eyes; saw how they darted to her lips when she wet them.  Thancred brushed the water from her cheeks with his thumb. </p><p> </p><p>A herd of Aldgoats brayed close enough to make them both jump and separate, “we should head back, you can fill me in on the particulars of the plan.” Shiloh stood again, this time Thancred offered his hand and they climbed out together. She dressed quickly, heart still beating out of her chest. Her lips tingled with lost opportunity. There was a time and place, and the day before a major operation was not it, when they were done with their work, maybe...Shiloh bit her lower lip.</p><p> </p><p>They headed back towards Camp Drybone, Thancred giving her the particulars of the plan, it would be an ambush, she with one group of Flames, he with the other. With any luck they would stop the summoning before it began. </p><p> </p><p>Back in their room Shiloh hurried behind the screen and changed out of her still wet underthings, Thancred did the same on the other side. Fully dressed and dry Shiloh asked what questions she could think of for the following day. Her nerves were catching up with her, in her short time as an adventurer, she’d faced monsters and beastmen, and won, emphatically, but the stakes felt higher this time, she'd been raised on stories of Primals, she knew how devastating they could be. While she could use and was adept at her offensive spells, they weren't her specialty, the idea of fighting, alone no less, was a frightening prospect, the echo would protect her from the Primal's influence, but fire was still fire. Thancred must have sensed her nervousness, and stepped closer, putting his hands on her shoulders, “I’ll be right behind you, I won’t let anything bad happen to you, I promise.” </p><p> </p><p>“Right,” Shiloh licked her lips, and shook her head, “right, we can do this.” </p><p> </p><p>“You are a hero for the ages after all.” Thancred grinned at her, face soft and hazel eyes warm. </p><p> </p><p>“You think so?” Shiloh stepped into his space , and he tensed, his eyes tracking her, lifting an eyebrow at her boldness.</p><p> </p><p>“You.” Thancred closed the gap between them, threading fingers into her hair, the other hand circling her waist, “are special.”He lowered his head to hers stopping short of her lips, playfully rubbing his nose with hers, “this is a terrible idea,” he husked, tilting Shiloh’s head up towards his.</p><p> </p><p>“The worst.” Shiloh got up on her tiptoes, winding her arms up from his chest to around his neck, and kissed him, gentle and curious, she sighed into him, and he took full advantage, expertly pulling her against him, and deepening the kiss, tasting her lips, her tongue, her breath, and she returned his ardor tracing his tattoo with curious fingers, something she’d wanted to do since meeting him, he moaned into their kiss so she did it again. They kissed each other breathless, and senseless. Breaking and panting for breath. Thancred pressed his forehead to hers. </p><p> </p><p>“As much as I would love to ravish you here, now, I’m expected in Ul'dah.” Thancred pet the scales on her cheeks with his thumbs, taking a small step back. “And you need your rest. If it comes to it, and Ifrit is summoned, it will fall to you, and the echo, to overcome him.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiloh bit her kiss swollen lips, nodding. </p><p> </p><p>“If you were amenable, after all is said and done...and if you haven't come to your senses, there’s a waterfall not far from here that I think you might enjoy.” He kissed her,again, capturing her breath, growling low in his throat, chasing away her uncertainty and doubt, “and it's far more private then the watering hole.” He gave her a wicked grin. </p><p>
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  <br/>
</p><p>“I’d like that.” she whispered a reply, dazed and giddy. </p><p> </p><p>He nodded at her and gave her a dashing smile, “right then, I’ll see you in the morning at the appointed hour. Rest well.”</p><p> </p><p>Shiloh gave him a smile and a wave, and immediately fell onto her bed after the door closed. Gods she’d never been kissed like that, touched like that, she covered her face with a pillow. Her whole body tingled, and she kicked her legs a bit. She knew deep down that Thancred was right and what they were doing was a terrible idea. She just couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is set in early ARR, in the quest chain leading up to the WOL's first encounter with Ifrit. This is an entry for the tumblr 30 Day WOL challenge, using the prompt Laugh. This is also the first piece I've written in over 10 months, forgive the rust, comments welcome! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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